A communication system (500) includes a plurality of subscriber systems (510) coupled to a plurality of twisted pair data lines (520). Each subscriber system (510) has an availability guarantee value, which may specify a level of service for the subscriber system (510). A communication server (502) is coupled to the plurality of subscriber systems (510). The communication server (502) selectively couples a subscriber system (510), responsive to a request for service, to either a first modem pool (530) or a second modem pool (540) based on the availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber system (510). Communication server (502) can also provide a soft-termination state and dynamic network address allocation for subscriber systems (510).
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems; a data line; and a controller coupled to the XDSL modems and the data line, the controller being operable to: maintain a plurality of sets of assignable network addresses, each one of the plurality of sets being associated with a selected one of a plurality of ISPs, each one of the plurality of sets being assignable only to subscribers of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs with which the set is associated, wherein each set of assignable network addresses comprises a plurality of subsets of network addresses for the selected one of the plurality of ISPs; receive a request for data service from a subscriber of a selected one of the plurality of ISPs; identify an availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber; couple the data line to a selected one of the XDSL modems to establish a subscriber session in response to the request, the selected one of the XDSL modems within a modem pool that includes a subset of modems within the XDSL modems, the selected one of the XDSL modems selected based on the availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber and a level of service value associated with the selected one of the XDSL modems; assign a network address to the subscriber session from at least one of the plurality of subsets of assignable network addresses that is associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs; remove the network address assigned to the subscriber session from the set of assignable network addresses when the network address is assigned; and return the network address assigned to the subscriber session to the set of assignable network addresses when the subscriber session is terminated.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further operable to maintain a plurality of subsets of network addresses for each of the plurality of ISPs, and wherein the network address is assigned from a subset of the set of assignable network addresses assignable only to subscribers of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs with which the set is associated.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the set associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs comprises a plurality of subsets of assignable network addresses associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs, and the controller is further operable to determine from which subset associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs to assign the network address of the set of assignable network addresses associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the communication server is associated with an ISP operable to distribute network addresses to subscribers.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further operable to monitor the subscriber session to determine whether the subscriber session has terminated.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further operable to assign a first network address to a first subscriber session with the subscriber and assign a second network address to a second subscriber session with the subscriber.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems comprises a number of XDSL modems that is less than a number of a plurality of data lines associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further operable to poll a plurality of data lines in succession to sample a signal from each the plurality of data lines, at least one sample signal from at least one of the plurality of data lines identifying the request for the data service from the subscriber of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein: the request is repeatedly transmitted on the at least one of the plurality of data lines at a request interval; polling the plurality of data lines comprises successively dwelling on each of the plurality of data lines for a predetermined polling interval to detect the request; and the polling interval is at least two times the request interval.
10. A method comprising: at the controller, maintaining a plurality of sets of assignable network addresses, each one of the plurality of sets being associated with a selected one of a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), each one of the plurality of sets being assignable only to subscribers of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs with which a particular set of assignable network addresses is associated, wherein each set of assignable network addresses comprises a plurality of subsets of network addresses for the selected one of the plurality of ISPs; at the controller coupling to a plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems and a data line, receiving a request for data service from a subscriber of a selected one of the plurality of ISPs; at the controller identify an availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber; at the controller, coupling the data line to a selected one of the XDSL modems to establish a subscriber session, the selected one of the XDSL modems within a modem pool that includes a subset of modems within the XDSL modems, the selected one of the XDSL modems selected based on the availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber and a level of service value associated with the selected one of the XDSL modems; at the controller, assigning to the subscriber session a network address from at least one of the plurality of subsets of assignable network addresses that is associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs; at the controller, removing the network address assigned to the subscriber session from the set of assignable network addresses when the network address is assigned; and at the controller, returning the network address assigned to the subscriber session to the set of assignable network addresses when the subscriber session is terminated.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein assigning the subscriber session a network address comprises assigning the network address to an active subscriber session.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein assigning the subscriber session a network address comprises distributing network addresses to subscribers.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein assigning the subscriber session a network address comprises assigning a network address from a subset of the set of assignable network addresses.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the set comprises a plurality of subsets, and assigning the subscriber session a network address comprises determining from which subset to assign the network address of the set of assigned network addresses.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising monitoring, at the controller, the subscriber session to determine whether the subscriber session has terminated.
16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: at the controller, assigning a first network address to a first subscriber session with the subscriber and assigning a second network address to a second subscriber session with the subscriber.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems comprises a number of XDSL modems that is less than a number of a plurality of data lines associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: at the controller, polling a plurality of data lines in succession to sample a signal from each the plurality of data lines, and wherein at least one sample signal from at least one of the plurality of data lines identifies the request for the data service from the subscriber of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein: the request is repeatedly transmitted on the at least one of the plurality of data lines at a request interval; polling the plurality of data lines comprises successively dwelling on each of the plurality of data lines for a predetermined polling interval to detect the request; and the polling interval is at least two times the request interval.
20. A system comprising: a subscriber system operable to generate a request for service; and a communication server operable to: maintain a plurality of sets of assignable network addresses, each one of the plurality of sets being associated with a selected one of a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), each one of the plurality of sets being assignable only to subscribers of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs with which the set is associated, wherein each set of assignable network addresses comprises a plurality of subsets of network addresses for the selected one of the plurality of ISPs; receive the request for service from a subscriber of a selected one of the plurality of ISPs; identify an availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber; couple a data line at the communication server to a selected one of a plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems at the communication server to establish a subscriber session in response to the request for service, the selected one of the plurality of XDSL modems within a modem pool that includes a subset of modems within the plurality of the XDSL modems, the selected one of the XDSL modems selected based on the availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber and a level of service value associated with the selected one of the XDSL modems; assign a network address to the subscriber session from at least one of the plurality of subsets of assignable network addresses; remove the network address assigned to the subscriber session from the set of assignable network addresses when the network address is assigned; return the network address assigned to the subscriber session to the set of assignable network addresses when the subscriber session is terminated.
21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the network address is assigned from a subset of the set of assignable network addresses.
22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the set comprises a plurality of subsets, and the communication server is further operable to determine from which subset to assign the network address of the set of assignable network addresses.
23. The system of claim 20 , wherein the communication server is associated with an ISP operable to distribute network addresses to subscribers.
24. The system of claim 20 , wherein the communication server is further operable to monitor the subscriber session to determine whether the subscriber session has terminated.
25. The system of claim 20 , wherein the communication server is further operable to assign a first network address to a first subscriber session with the subscriber and assign a second network address to a second subscriber session with the subscriber.
26. The system of claim 20 , wherein the plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems comprises a number of XDSL modems that is less than a number of a plurality of data lines associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
27. The system of claim 20 , wherein the communication server is further operable to: poll a plurality of data lines in succession to sample a signal from each the plurality of data lines, and wherein at least one sample signal from at least one of the plurality of data lines identifies the request for the data service from the subscriber of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
28. The system of claim 27 , wherein: the request is repeatedly transmitted on the at least one of the plurality of data lines at a request interval; polling the plurality of data lines comprises successively dwelling on each of the plurality of data lines for a predetermined polling interval to detect the request; and the polling interval is at least two times the request interval.
29. A system comprising: at a controller, means for maintaining a plurality of sets of assignable network addresses, each one of the plurality of sets being associated with a selected one of a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), each one of the plurality of sets being assignable only to subscribers of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs with which the set is associated, wherein each set of assignable network addresses comprises a plurality of subsets of network addresses for the selected one of the plurality of ISPs; at the controller coupled to a plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems and a data line, means for receiving a request for data service from a subscriber of a selected one of the plurality of ISPs; at the controller, means for identifying an availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber; at the controller, means for coupling the data line to a selected one of the XDSL modems to establish a subscriber session, the selected one of the XDSL modems within a modem pool that includes a subset of modems within the XDSL modems, the selected one of the XDSL modems selected based on the availability guarantee value associated with the subscriber and a level of service value associated with the selected one of the XDSL modems; at the controller, means for assigning to the subscriber session a network address from at least one of the plurality of subsets of assignable network addresses that is associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs; at the controller, means for removing the network address assigned to the subscriber session from the set of assignable network addresses when the network address is assigned; and at the controller, means for returning the network address assigned to the subscriber session to the set of assignable network addresses when the subscriber session is terminated.
30. The system of claim 29 , wherein the means for assigning is further operable to assigned a first network address to a first subscriber session with a subscriber and assign a second network address to a second subscriber session with the subscriber.
31. The system of claim 29 , wherein the plurality of digital subscriber line (XDSL) modems comprises a number of XDSL modems that is less than a number of subscriber lines associated with the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
32. The system of claim 29 , further comprising: at the controller, means for polling a plurality of data lines in succession to sample a signal from each the plurality of data lines, at least one sample signal from at least one of the plurality of data lines identifying the request for the data service from the subscriber of the selected one of the plurality of ISPs.
33. The system of claim 32 , wherein: the request is repeatedly transmitted on the at least one of the plurality of data lines at an request interval; the means for polling successively dwells on each of the plurality of data lines for a predetermined polling interval to detect the request; and the polling interval is at least two times the request interval.
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February 16, 2005
February 14, 2012
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